Funding awarded towards Houston's first public hydrogen fueling station

Vision Industries Corporation, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Air Products and project partners were recently awarded $500,000 from the Texas Emission Reduction Program (TERP) to partially fund the building of the first public hydrogen fueling station in the state. The station, which is proposed to be fed from an existing hydrogen pipeline, will fuel port trucks and be publicly available for personal vehicles.

An alliance of diverse organizations, including hydrogen truck manufacturer Vision Industries, trucking company TTSI, non-profit organization Environmental Defense Fund and Air Products were awarded the funds for the new facility for hydrogen fueling infrastructure through the TERP Alternative Fueling Facilities Program (AFFP).

The facility will support new hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid trucks being developed for use at the Port of Houston. In addition, the station offers the opportunity to provide fuel for future hydrogen equipment and vehicles used at other facilities, including warehouses and distribution facilities. The station, along with the hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid trucks manufactured by Vision, will be the role model for ports worldwide for a zero-emission, sustainable fuel initiative.

"This award symbolizes the type of forward and creative thinking that has always driven innovation in this country," said EDF health scientist Elena Craft, Ph.D. "It means a cleaner fuel choice and healthier air for Houstonians."

"We are very happy and excited about the decision by TERP to support this first, large-scale commercial hydrogen fueling station in the world. It will support a fleet of 20 Hydrogen Class 8 trucks initially. However, since hydrogen is supplied through a pipeline, this station could ultimately supply hydrogen for up to 1,000 trucks," said Martin Schuermann, CEO of Vision Industries.

"We believe this is a wonderful project and we are proud to be part of the team. Air Products has tremendous experience in developing the hydrogen infrastructure for fueling and in the production of hydrogen. This could be a model location for alternative energy for the Port and Texas," said Brian Bonner, global product manager for Hydrogen Energy Systems at Air Products.

The new hydrogen facility supports the efforts of several of the project partners to reduce emissions, noise, and other environmental impacts of port truck activities. The hydrogen station will be built near the Port of Houston Authority's Bayport Container Terminal in Harris County, which is part of the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria nonattainment area for ozone, which is a harmful air pollutant. Additional benefits of this location include the presence of an existing hydrogen pipeline that is owned by Air Products, making the fuel 100 percent locally sourced. By 2020, trucks fueled at the station are expected to result in a reduction of particulate matter by 46 tons, nitrogen oxides by 2,200 tons, and volatile organic compounds by 23 tons.